Avanta FCU Board Earns Accolades

HELENA, Mont. -- Avanta Federal Credit Union's seven member board has been singled out for its commitment and countless contributions to the Montana Credit Union movement.

Richard Nauman Sr., Robert Fox, Richard Lohof, Gregory Erpenbach, David Grubbs, Michael Mennie and William Pedersen were recognized as the 2008 Mitch Reed volunteers of the year. Together the seven have a combined total of 158 years of experience volunteering for credit unions.

"We're very fortunate to have a group of board members that are so engaged in our credit union, our activities, and the credit union movement overall," said Avanta FCU President/CEO Rhonda Diefenderfer.

"They exemplify the credit union philosophy of 'People Helping People.'"Instituted in the mid-1970s, the Mitch Reed volunteer of the year award is conferred only by nomination. Receiving it is a mark of distinction.

"They are noncompensated officials that volunteer their time in our industry," said Diefenderfer. "It is truly an honor that each of them, collectively, has been recognized for their dedication and commitment."

Avanta FCU received a firs place Dora Maxwell award this past year for its credit unions Pennies for Life program and is a member of the Midlands Empire Chapter of Credit Unions, which received a second place Dora Maxwell award in the chapter category.

Brock has more than 30 years of experience in the credit union industry and has been with the over $300 million credit union since 1992. Prior to joining CECU, Brock was executive vice president of Space Coast CU and vice president of Knoxville Post Office CU. He holds a bachelor of science in business administration from the University of Tennessee and an MBA from the Florida Institute of Technology. "We're excited to have Brock join our board of directors," said CSCU President Robert Hackney. "We believe his knowledge and expertise in both credit and debit will be a great addition to our board."

Also taking place within a reorganization meeting was the re-appointment of the following individuals to Constitution's supervisory committee: Aresti; Francis R. N. Proto (Dutch Point Credit Union, Inc.); John Smietana (The Greater Norwalk Area CU, Inc.); Gail Todd (Greenwich Municipal EFCU); and Joanne S. Todd (Northeast Family FCU).

Chartered in 1979, Constitution Corporate FCU is a cooperative financial institution dedicated to providing value to its member owner credit unions.

Local Government FCU Board Elected

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Local Government Federal Credit Union elected three board members at its annual meeting. Re-elected to the LGFCU Board of Directors were North Carolina residents Ruth Barnes and Al Richardson. Jeanne Erwin was newly elected to the board, replacing Jack Scoville who stepped down after 15 years of service. In other board news, Bill Coward now serves as chairman, Paul Miller is vice chairman, Barnes is treasurer and Ann R. Suggs is secretary. All board members serve three-year terms.

New Board Chairman Named at RCU

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. -- After a board reorganization Royal Credit Union has named Douglas A. Olson as the new board chairman.

He replaces John Sackett who has served as chair for 17 years and is now board treasurer. Sackett began his service to RCU in 1982 when he served on the audit committee and has served in almost every position within the board. Dedicated to service, Sackett also chairs the finance committee and the political action committee. He is vice chairperson of CUNA's Community Credit Union Committee and serves on CUNA's Due Diligence Task Force.

Since his retirement from the Eau Claire Area School District, Sackett has consulted with many school districts and is currently the business manager in the Ladysmith-Hawkins School District.

A board member since 1995, Olson has served as treasurer of the board for seven of his 13 years and vice chairperson for four years. He also serves as chairperson of the compensation/governance committee and sits on the audit committee and political action committee. Olson was recently promoted to director of workforce development and recruitment at Chippewa Valley Technical College.

Rounding out the board officers are vice chair Jennifer McDonough and secretary Tom Gillett.
In addition, Nancy Beltz was re-elected to a three-year term.

Beltz has been a board member since 1999 and currently chairs the audit committee and serves as an ad hoc member of the technology steering committee. Beltz and her husband, Tony, own RAM Technologies in Eau Claire where she is the chief financial officer.

Gillett was appointed to the board in 2007 and serves on the audit committee and finance committee. He is president of Indianhead Foodservice Distributor in Eau Claire.